Two brothers, one broke taxi driver and one smug salaryman, fight over who gets to NOT abandon their parents.
In the middle of the period of high economic growth in Japan, a family is thrown into disarray over work, money, and romance. Their father's sudden unemployment later in life causes friction among the siblings of the Akagi family. Kensuke, a salaryman at a top company, refuses to support his parents while his brother, Shoji, determines to care for them despite only working as a taxi driver. The concern over money affects Noriko's own love life as she courts a wealthy salaryman to the chagrin of her mechanic boyfriend.
Acting
Kamatari Fujiwara's silent shame as the displaced patriarch.
Direction
Chiba's cramped compositions mirror suffocating obligation.
Director
Yasuki Chiba
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released at peak Japan economic growth, this quietly critiques the 'salaryman dream' before it became nostalgic.
Yūzō Kayama and Akira Takarada were both Toho stars—casting them as brothers weaponized their real-life rivalry.
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